Expatriates 'returning' to Indonesia

Expatriates 'returning' to Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): Many multinational companies which evacuated
their expatriate employees and dependents during widespread
unrest in May have now allowed them to return, a survey has
found.

The level of fear generated in the expatriate community by the
May riots "has dramatically subsided", the Castle Group, which
conducted the survey, said in a media release.

The major consulting firm in Indonesia compiled the survey in
the past seven days.

Companies were asked whether they were allowing expatriate
dependents to live in Indonesia.

Thirty-seven of the 41 respondents responded yes, two
companies answered in the negative, two were undecided and one
stated it would make its decision at the end of the month.

The majority, 24, of the firms surveyed were American, and the
rest were European, Japanese, Australian, Singaporean and
Indonesian.

"This is a very positive trend," said Jeremy Williams who
coordinated the survey. "We expected a much more mixed picture
because of anecdotal evidence we've been getting".

James Castle, chairman of the Castle Group, said he was
pleasantly surprised by the results.

"We were asked to do the survey by one of our clients who is
in the process of making a decision about allowing the dependents
of its expatriate employees to return.

"Clearly most companies feel that the current climate does not
represent substantial risk to their employees and their families
and that the current level of risk does not justify the trauma of
separating families or pulling expatriates out of the country,"
Castle said. (mds)